It's that time again when the masters of fruit preserves and culinary syrups gather their "citizens" for another quarterly Cocktail Club. When Republic of Jam puts on an event, it's sure to include an assortment of flavors to delight your tastebuds. This was no exception, and once again, we were invited to lend some creative cocktail ideas to the evening. One of the challenges we learned from last time was the fact that cocktails mixed in batches are served en masse and have to be prepared differently. Because all of the drinks get served as small samples on the rocks, none of them go through the typical construction process of shaking with ice. Proper dilution is normally a helpful byproduct, so we needed to take that extra water into account. By making these individually, you also have the flexibility of glassware choices and creative flourishes with the garnish.

This past weekend we were invited to participate in the quarterly Cocktail Club at Republic of Jam. Being asked to contribute recipe ideas was an honor, and it was even more exciting to be there to answer questions and provide details about each drink. Citizens in attendance were genuinely enthusiastic about the whole process. Many had questions about everything from ice options to spirit suggestions. It was a joy to see so many people excited to participate.

Each of the recipes were made in large batches and poured over ice to make service fast and smooth. This was a smart choice given the sample size of each drink, but if you make some of these yourself, follow the directions. Some of these drinks are designed to be served up, in a stemmed cocktail glass (chill glasses in the freezer ahead of time and serve without ice). Good shaking

It's easy to criticize drinks like the Greyhound or the Screwdriver since they really don't require much in the way of mixing—add a measure of vodka to some larger measure of juice and serve it over ice. For those unfamiliar with these drinks, a Screwdriver is made using vodka and orange juice, and its partner, the Greyhound is the same drink only with grapefruit. Even the most inflexible mixology snob has to admit that these are basic highball cocktails—spirit and mixer served over ice, usually in a tall glass. There's no bitters to worry about, proportions are somewhat flexible, and you won't need to balance any sweet or sour. You could even build these over ice, right in the glass, so you probably don't need a shaker. Is it a complicated process? Obviously not. Will these drinks challenge your senses with deep, intriguing complexity? Hell no. So why might you

Here's another Toby Maloney great that's nice to have at the ready for anyone who says they want a good vodka cocktail. It's also an opportunity to play a little switch-a-roo on your friend to demonstrate how much better it is with gin! This is called Part & Parcel, and it's something we have been making for years, ever since Mr. Maloney shared the recipe online.

Plymouth gin is a good choice for the substitution, but we used locally distilled Aviation from House Spirits which has a similar flavor profile. St-Germain liqueur is made from elderflowers and it mixes so wonderfully with fresh grapefruit juice. The acid gets a boost with a little lime juice brought into balance with the simple syrup.

As a category, reviver cocktails have long been regarded for their ability to soothe aches and pains after an evening of over-imbibing. Drinks like the Bloody Mary, Corpse Reviver No. 2, or even the Ramos Gin Fizz—all delicious cocktails in their own right—are often consumed in the morning. "Hair of the Dog," as they say, cures the bite with a bit of the fur. The science involved is debatable, but good arguments include curbing the effects of alcohol withdrawal, delaying the metabolization of methanol congeners, enlivening the senses by correcting low blood sugar, and of course, dulling the pain with more booze.

If you add nausea to the list of symptoms—a common enough situation—another drink may be the last thing on your mind, especially if your evening concluded with foolishly questionable food choices. That

Depending on what part of the world you are in, you may or may not be feeling the onset of autumn. In Portland, Oregon there's rain in the weekend forecast ending what has been the longest dry summer on record. To put it plainly, it has been an amazing fall in the Pacific Northwest, so it seems only right to feature a Drink of the Week to emphasize one final day of sun before the long, dark winter. We first discovered Grounded for Life a year ago. It is a cocktail created by Beaker & Flask's Kevin Ludwig, and it's one that he calls a "nice, summery, refreshing drink," but we think it's just the ticket to close the season.

We are big fans of Beaker & Flask as well as Rum Club around back. Last year, we featured Kevin's Norwegian

Not everyone who reads Summit Sips will understand the implications of posting the Cosmopolitan as our Drink of the Week. In cocktail geek circles, the Cosmo is the quintessential "bad drink" of the late 1980's and 90s. Some craft cocktail bars even banish them (along with with Budweiser, cell phones, etc.) as a House Rule "no-no". It's just over two decades old placing the origin during a time before the current cocktail renaissance, but is it that hard to imagine how we might appreciate these ingredients if it were invented today? We think it's time to set aside pretentious attitudes and recognize that although it's possible to perpetuate everything that can be wrong with a Cosmopolitan, if you know what you are doing it can be delicious drink. We'd be lying by omission if we didn't admit that it happens to be one of our own guilty pleasures.